Naomi Osaka admits she is feeling “less confident” in her game following another frustrating loss but highlighted that she is also “not too unconfident” that she can go out there and deliver a good performance.
On Tuesday, former world No. 1 Osaka – who received a main draw wildcard into a WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi – saw her campaign in the United Arab Emirates come to an end in the first round in a very disappointing way.
Through the opening nine games of the match, Osaka held a 5-4 up lead over Danielle Collins and didn’t allow the American any break points in her opening five service games. But then, Osaka’s game just shut down as Collins went on to win the next nine games and register a 7-5 6-0 win over Osaka.
Naomi Osaka© Getty Images Sport – Francois Nel
After beating Tamara Korpatsch in her first post-pregnancy match, Osaka has lost her last three matches. Following her latest loss, Osaka was asked if she would contemplate playing in a WTA 250 tournament or even in some qualifying events.
“I think I’m going to finish out the hard-court swing and then figure it out. I’m less confident but I’m not too unconfident to think that I can’t play really good tennis,” Osaka told Reem Abulleil.
Asked Naomi Osaka if she’ll consider playing 250s or qualies to get some extra match play:
“I think I’m going to finish out the hard-court swing and then figure it out. I’m less confident but I’m not too unconfident to think that I can’t play really good tennis.”
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) February 6, 2024
Where will Osaka play next?
In the next two weeks, the opening two WTA 1000 tournaments of the year in Doha and Dubai will be taking place.
Osaka, who is currently ranked at No. 757 in the world, will also be competing in Doha despite being far away from the top-50 as she used her protected ranking of No. 46 to enter the tournament.
Naomi Osaka© Getty Images Sport – Francois Nel
In Doha, 26-year-old Osaka will be making her second appearance and also her first appearance since 2018. In her Doha debut in 2018, Osaka made the second round as a qualifier before losing to Anastasia Sevastatova.
Since Doha is from the WTA 1000 category, pretty much all of the top players will be competing there. For Osaka, doing well in Doha could certainly do wonders for her confidence but could also further decrease her confidence levels if she again loses early.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login